This unit is designed to develop university students’ skills, knowledge and understanding of how to create and maintain learning environments that are responsive to the learning, emotional and social needs of students with differing interests, abilities and backgrounds across the spectrum from foundation to year 12. You will examine approaches for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities, including those who are gifted and those with disabilities. You will also investigate teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. You will explore programs, resources and policy documents, which enable and support teachers to develop practices that cater to the specific, but differing learning needs of students so that all can participate fully within the classroom and school. This exploration will include a focus on the legislative requirements and the teaching practices that support the participation and learning of students with a disability.
This unit builds on your primary school professional experiences and supports you to articulate and reflect on important questions regarding the impact of teachers' work. In particular you will reflect on students' experiences of, and learning in, primary schools by investigating personal, school-based, theoretical and socio-cultural explanations of your experiences in educational settings, including the principles underpinning the creation of safe and secure classroom environments. This is a praxis inquiry unit in which you undertake professional experience in a primary school and have the opportunity to develop and trial a range of teaching strategies. For example you will use both verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support student engagement. You will seek and apply constructive feedback from your teachers in order to improve your teaching practice.
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
University students will be provided with an up-to-date reading list via the VU Collaborate system.
This unit is studied as part of the following course(s):